Fresno Unified School District is reportedly poised to take the interim tag off of Misty Her and appoint her as the next superintendent.
GV Wire reported that the FUSD Board of Trustees has begun negotiations with Her to officially take over the district’s top job after a nationwide search.
The big picture: Per the report, Fresno Unified trustees interviewed the finalists for the position last Wednesday, along with a community advisory panel.
- While Her is the choice of the board, some members of the advisory panel feel that the district had better options among the finalists and subverted the hiring process.
- The advisory panel was reportedly limited to asking questions that the district had given them and were not allowed to talk about the candidates or even give recommendations.
Go deeper: According to the report, three of the finalists that the district interviewed were highly qualified and prepared to lead FUSD in a positive direction.
- On the other hand, Her reportedly did not demonstrate to the panel how she plans to improve Fresno Unified after the district has suffered many years of middling results.
Flashback: Former Superintendent Bob Nelson left Fresno Unified at the end of last school year to take a teaching position at Fresno State.
- The Board of Trustees appointed Her as the interim superintendent and initially moved to expedite the search for a permanent superintendent by only considering internal candidates, but after significant public outcry the board opened the search to nationwide candidates.
What we’re watching: With the selection reportedly made, the Board of Trustees could make the hire official at its next scheduled meeting on April 23.
What they’re saying: Fresno Teachers Association President Manuel Bonilla told GV Wire that the move to hire Her is a missed opportunity.
- “I know that many people will feel like the fix was in from the very beginning,” Bonilla told the publication. “The board had a unique opportunity to use this process as a way to rebuild its trust with the community. Unfortunately, it seems like they missed that opportunity. So, to many people, this process will be like a mandate of the status quo.”
